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What the experts say

Hugh Barton, marketing director, services, Hewlett Packard: There is something folksy about a business that exists for reasons other than making a profit.

But there are good commercial reasons why Faber & Faber takes such an altruistic approach: it has to maintain its reputation as a publisher of offbeat authors and highbrow works. In fact, that well-defined niche is the way to continue to attract talent. Faber & Faber should not try to compete with mainstream publishers. But to continue to grow, it needs to nurture its image and brand — something it has failed to do for several years.

For this it needs money.

So profit should be seen as a means to an end — the company’s continued independence.

It needs to invest in the web as a selling tool, using its backlist as a way to boost sales and generate profits.